With a cost per gallon significantly lower than gasoline or diesel in many countries, and at least an initial existing infrastructure, the vehicle market for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), otherwise known as propane or autogas, seems poised for growth. However, increasing interest in compressed natural gas as a vehicle fuel, along with hesitation by both biofuel producers and auto manufacturers to make a significant investment in autogas, will most likely limit future growth in this sector to a slow and steady pace. According to a new report from Pike Research, a part of Navigant’s Energy Practice, the number of autogas vehicles sold worldwide each year will surpass 1.4 million by 2020. Continue reading
RWANDA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Radio Lifeline, a non-profit based in the US, announces the launch of the Black Earth Project, a new initiative designed to help farmers mitigate the growing effects of climate change. Radio Lifeline’s partner in this project is re:char, a leading developer of small-scale biochar technologies, based in Kenya. Major funding for the Black Earth Project is being provided by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR), headquartered in Waterbury, VT.
The Black Earth Project is a two-year research project designed to evaluate the effectiveness of biochar when used as a soil amendment by smallholder coffee and pyrethrum farmers in Rwanda. Biochar is produced through a process called pyrolysis, or the burning of dried biomass in a low or zero oxygen environment. The process prevents combustion and the usual release of carbon dioxide, black carbon and other greenhouse gases associated with traditional charcoal production methods. Continue reading
